Walter Foil Brinkley

Walter Foil Brinkley, 88, a former resident of Lexington, NC for 82 years died Monday, April 6, 2015 at Southminster Retirement Community in Charlotte.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, April 10, at First United Methodist Church in Lexington. Private inurnment will be in the Church Columbarium. The family will see friends in the Church Fellowship Hall following the service.

A second memorial service will be held on Tuesday, April 28, at 4:00 p.m. at Southminster Retirement Community in Charlotte.

Mr. Brinkley was devoted to his family, a dedicated attorney, and an active public servant. He was born June 22, 1926 in Davidson County to Walter Foil Brinkley, Sr. and Elizabeth Hudson Brinkley. He graduated from Lexington High School, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of North Carolina School of Law. After serving as Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy, he was a Staff Attorney for the NC Attorney General.

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Mr. Brinkley practiced law for 60 years as a member of the firm Brinkley Walser now Brinkley Walser Stoner in Lexington, NC. He represented clients ranging from the indigent to large corporations. He enjoyed a reputation as an extraordinarily skillful attorney whose integrity was beyond reproach.

As President of the North Carolina Bar Association, he worked to improve ethical standards and helped to establish legal services for the poor through Legal Services of NC, Inc. He was inducted into the North Carolina Bar Association’s General Practice Hall of Fame and received the John J. Parker Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Association. Mr. Brinkley was a former Chairman of the N.C. Board of Law Examiners. He was a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the International Association of Defense Counsel, Life Member of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Mr. Brinkley demonstrated care for his community and the welfare of others through his civic activities. He served as President of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce, President of the Lexington Area United Way, President of the Kiwanis Club, President of the Lexington Tennis Association, Chairman of the Administrative Board and Board of Trustees of the First United Methodist Church of Lexington.

He was a devoted husband, inspiring father, and enjoyed his role as “Daddy BB” to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was married to his childhood sweetheart Helen Spruill Brinkley and enjoyed 63 years of marriage until her death in 2013.